Lens-boxes.



No. 770,765. g PATE NTED SEPT. 27, 1904.

J. MENGHEN. LENS BOXES.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.15, 1903.

NO MODEL. 2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

PATENTED SEPT. 2'7, 1904.

J. MENGHEN. LEN$ BOXES.

APPLICATION FILED DEU.15, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

L. E D nu M 0 N imp W15 L ovmm UNITED STATES Patented September 2 7, 1904.

JOSEPH MENCHEN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

LENS-BOXES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 770,765, dated September 27, 1904.

Application filed December 15, 1903. Serial No. 185,217. (No model.)

To a whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH MENOHEN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lens-Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to lens-boxes for projecting various scenes, colored lights, or light effects upon stage scenery or decorations, and has for its object the novel combination of two or more of these boxes operating behind rotating transparencies on which are painted objects to be projected on the scenery and given apparent motion in one or more directions.

These and other objects of my invention are further described in detail in the following specification and. more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which like reference characters refer to like parts, Figure 1 is a side View of my improved lens-box, showing it applied to a disk-carrying frame or box. Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the two lens-boxes attached to the disk-case. Fig. 3 is a front view of the device. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the lines as m, Fig. 1, and looking toward the disk box or case.

It has been the practice heretofore in the production of multiple scenic light effects to focus two separate sets of lenses, supported by separate standards and provided with duplicate transparent figured disks, upon the stage and its settings. This plan, besides requiring two attendants or the close attention of one, occupied a great amount of valuable space and was very expensive.

The drawings show my improved means of combining two sets of lenses to be operated in conjunction with one set of colored or figured disks, the whole carried by one standard or support and requiring the attention of but one operator.

The lens-box 1 is of usual construction, being provided with the handle 2 for advancing or retracting the light in the box, a carbonfeed regulator 3, and an opening t for the inspection of the light. Midway along its length the box is cylindrical, as at 5, and concentric with this part of the box at one end is secured a ring 6, which carries one of the lenses and is provided with horizontal guideways 7. These guideways 7 are adapted to receive corresponding guide-rails 8, carried by a ring 9, and permit of the instant disengagement of the lens-box from the rest of the device. The ring 9 carries another lens, and around its periphery are gear-teeth 10, whose object will be described hereinafter, and it is adapted to receive and carry a flanged collarll, provided with set-screws 12 and to whose flange 13 is secured the box or casing 14 for the transparencies 15 and 16. The lower edge of the disk-casing 14 is supported by a slotted segment 17 and it is adapted to be shifted or turned therein and held rigidly at the desired point by the thumb-screw 18, which plays through the slot 19 of the segment and into the casing.

In the outer side of the casing, directly opposite the collar 11 and concentric therewith, is an opening 20 on each side of the center of the casing, through which the light is finally projected. These openings 20 are normally in a horizontal position; but they may be carried to either a vertical position or intermediate angle. It is evident that in a figured disk rotating on a shaft at the center of the casing .the motion of the figures in the two openings will be the reverse. To provide for the movement of the casing and at the same time to retain the lens-boxes in their vertical positions, I pivot to the stationary segment rack-bars21, carried by horizontal studs 22 and whose teeth are adapted to mesh with the teeth 10 of the ring 9. The screws 12 may play loosely in an annular groove in the ring 9. or may be set fast and loosened when it is desired to rotate the casing 14. The rackbars are held in engagement with the teeth 10 by the springs 23, which encircle the studs 22 and whose ends bear on the bar and small pins 2d.

The segment 17 has a rearwardly-projecting arm 25, which is clamped to the upper end of the standards 26 by the hand-screw 27 after the casing 14 is set at any desired angle, and the standard 26 is so swiveled in its base as to be capable of turning therein to rotate the cases and lens-boxes on a horizontal plane.

As shown in Fig. 2, the collars 11 are secured Fig. 3,) the casing 14 being cut away to provide for same. Another clockwork and pulley may be provided to drive one of the disks in a reverse direction; but as the construction of the disks and casing forms no part of the present application I do not con- 'sider it necessary to go into the details of the same.

The operation of the device is as follows: The disk 16 is supposed to have transparently represented thereon any object capable of animation, or small dots to represent snow or rain, or illustration representing waves tossing, and the like, and the lenses of the lensboxes are so focused as to cause the object to haveseveral motions when thrown upon the scenery. The disk 15 may be made of corrugated or crackled glass to give the objects a wavy or fluttering effect when the two disks move at a different rate of speed or in reverse directions.

It is obvious that more openings may be added and lens-boxes applied thereto, all focused to a central point and each giving a different motion to the objects projected. Screens of different or similar colors may be applied to the openings to give colored effects- Kaleidoscopes may be secured to these openings and different colors produced and dissolved or blended with ease, where by the old method of double projection the registration of the lights was slow and difficult. Stereopticon lenses may also be applied to the front openings 20, which would afiordnumerous light effects.

What I claim as new, and desire to obtain by Letters Patent, is

1. In projecting lens-boxes the combination of revolving transparencies, means for revolving the same, lens-boxes supported at the sides of the center of the transparencies and means for supporting the boxes while the transparencies revolve, substantially as described.

2. In projecting lens-boxes the combination of rotating transparencies, means for rotating the same, a case containing the transparencies, means for shifting the vertical and horizontal axis of the case and lens-boxes carried on different sides of the centers of the transparencies, substantially as described.

8. In projecting lens-boxes themmbination of rotating transparencies, means for rotating the same, a case containing the transparencies, openings in the case on different sides of the center of the transparencies, lens-boxes applied onev to each opening, means for shifting the case around thecenter of the transparencies and means for retaining the boxes in an upright position when the case is shifted, substantially as described.

I. In projecting lens-boxes the combination of rotating transparencies, means for rotating the same, a case inclosing the transparencies, a segment conforming with the edge of the case and supporting same, a slot in the segment, a set-screw playing in the slot and into the case, an arm projecting from the segment, a swiveled standard, a clamping-screw securing the arm to the standard, lens-boxes carried by the case and means secured to the segments to retain the boxes in an upright position when the case is shifted in the segment, substantially as described- 5. In projecting lens-boxes the combination of rotating transparencies, means for rotating same, a case-carrying the transparencies, a segment supporting the edgeof the case and adapted to allow the case to be shifted thereon, an adjustable standard carrying the segment, openings in the case, lens boxes, coupling-rings interposed between the lensboxes and the case at the openings, gear-teeth on one of the couplingrings, and rack-bars secured to the segment, meshing with the gears and adapted to retain the lens in a vertical position when the case carrying the same is turned about its center, substantially as described.

6. In projecting lens-boxes the combination of one or more revolving transparencies, means for revolving the same, a case containing the transparencies, openings on different sides of the centers of the case, collars secured to the case concentrically with the openings, a ring adjustably secured to the collar and having gear-teeth, a ring adapted to be coupled to the adjustable ring, means for coupling the two rings, a lens-box secured to the latter ring, a segment supporting the case and allowing the same to be shifted circumferenand adapted to actuate the toothed ring when the case is shifted, substantially as described.

7. In projecting lens-boxes the combination of one or more boxes, rings secured to the same and having guideways, rings with guiderails adapted to be coupled concentrically to the first rings and having gear-teeth on their outer surfaces, collars adapted to be adjustably secured to thesecond rings, set-screws, rotating transparencies, a case carrying same, means for rotating the transparencies, a segment carrying the case and permitting the same to be shifted, rack-bars carried by the segment and adapted to engage the teeth of the second rings and means for holding the rack-bars in engagement with the teeth on the ring, substantially as described.

8. In projecting lens-boxes the combination tially, and raclcbars pivoted to the segment of lamp-carrying boxes, rings With lenses secured therein, rings With gear-teeth and having lenses coupled to the first rings, means for coupling the rings, collars adjustably secured to the toothed rings, transparencies and a case for carrying the same, openings inthe case about which the collars are secured, a segment supporting the case and adapted to allow the same to be shifted, studs carried by the segment, rack-bars pivoted to the studs and gearing with the teeth of the second rings,

and coiled springs about the studs and adapted to keep the rack-bars in engagement With the teeth of the rings, substantially as described.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of tWo Witnesses.

JOSEPH MEN CHEN.

Witnesses WM. F. HALL,

* H. ANE. 

